This article presents results from an experimental study, investigating the effects of core thickness on the mechanical properties of composite sandwich structures with polypropylene(PP)-based honeycomb core and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) face-sheets fabricated by hand lay-up technique. Epoxy matrix and non-crimp glass fibers were used for the production of GFRP laminates. Flatwise compression (FC), edgewise compression (EC), three-point bending (3PB) and double cantilever beam (DCB) tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the composite sandwich structures (CSSs). Based on the FC tests, an increase in the compressive modulus and strength was observed with an increase in the core thickness. For EC tests, peak loads up to crush of the sandwich panel is discussed using core thickness. According to the 3PB tests, a decrease in core shear stress and facesheet bending stress was observed as the core thickness increases.

The October 30, 2020 Earthquake caused unexpectedly significant damage in İzmir considering its distance to the city. This paper evaluates the recorded ground motions, summarizes the performance of structures affected from the earthquake with emphasis on the reasons of damage. A detailed damage assessment was carried out by the Earthquake Engineering Research Center of Middle East Technical University to compile data on the damage of RC and masonry buildings. It was observed that majority of the damage was concentrated in the Bayraklı district due to its peculiar soil properties where many 7–10 story mid-rise RC buildings suffered heavy damage and collapse. The level of amplified ground motions combined with deficiencies of apparently non-code compliant buildings exacerbated the damage. The main reasons of damage were mainly attributed to the presence of soft stories, lack of proper detailing, poor construction quality, presence of heavy overhangs, and hence significant lack of code-compliance in essence. The influence of infill walls on seismic performance of deficient and inadequate buildings was clearly seen in this earthquake. This paper also discusses seismic code requirements in effect and their influence on the observed building performance. The recorded ground motions were compared with the code spectra to evaluate the performance of the buildings. The code response spectra were found to be well above the recorded ground motion spectra at the sites where significant damage was observed.

Observations after the 2011 Van-Erciş earthquake show that some of the recently constructed reinforced-concrete buildings were either heavily damaged or had collapsed. As a building subtype, wide-beam, infill-joist block reinforced-concrete frames got attention because of their mode of failure. There were several such buildings that failed in strong-column, weak-beam mode. Considering the demand created by the earthquake, structures were not expected to reach their full capacity. The purpose of this study is to review the history and current practice of infill-joist frames in Turkey and to conduct a performance evaluation of infill-joist frames designed per the current earthquake code (2007). Regulations for this building subtype are critically reviewed, and the designer's response to code regulations is discussed. Results indicate that the force-based design approach used in the current code is not always adequate to satisfy the displacement demands. In addition, it is observed that layout, proportioning, and detailing requirements of beam-end regions and beam-column connections do not always warrant ductile behavior as targeted.

This chapter focuses on seismic assessment and restoration of one of the numerous historical buildings in Turkey; the Arditi Residence in Urla, Izmir. It is a 150 years old two story masonry building located in a seismically active region. From the structural point of view, the building can be regarded as a mixed system since three different techniques had been used during the construction. The Arditi Residence has been investigated in three stages: preliminary evaluation, seismic performance assessment and intervention. The building has been observed to possess serious deficiencies, which are not easy to handle due to the complexity of the construction system. On the other hand, the proposed intervention strategies should have the minimal impact on the historic information building carrying and provide a certain level of safety against the seismic demands. Overall, the chapter presents a contribution to seismic assessment and restoration of historical structures on the basis of Arditi Residence, a unique historical building with serious problems in an earthquake-prone region.

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